The 13 | Part 10

By: Greg Nasser, BOH director of operations

We’re taking you back to the fundamentals of our trade with a 13-part series on the 13 ethics of hospitality–brought to you by Director of Ops. Greg Nasser. Read on for part 10.

#10 Fairness – This is very important when trying to resolve conflicts with guests, staff or vendors. Use the lens of realistic optimism to understand all sides to the story—before passing judgment.

In the restaurant business (and in the hospitality industry as a whole) staff, guests and even you may, at times, feel that they/you are being treated badly or unfairly. To get the full picture, first ask yourself two simple questions:

What are the facts of the situation?

What is the story I am telling myself about those facts?

Once you’ve found clarity, it will be easier to understand the necessary action or actions to take so that the parties involved will feel they’re concerns have been heard. In order to get to this place, you must have the ability to stand outside of the experience and remove all emotional attachments to avoid reacting rashly.

Once you understand that there is more than one way to look at a situation, you’ll find that there are many ways to resolve the issue at hand.

In addition, examining a situation through these three lenses may be of help:

Realistic Optimism Lens – how would I act here at my best?

The Reverse Lens—how does the person’s view make sense? Where is my responsibility in resolving this problem?

The Long Lens—how can I grow from this experience?

Back Of The House’s HR team (Jessica Spencer Flores and Lidia Custodio) always use the above strategies when seeking understanding of a particular incident. They approach each and every problem with empathy—getting to the root of the problem by viewing the circumstances through others’ eyes.